[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 397 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 397

 Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Mike Mansfield 
     Fellowship Act creating the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 31, 2019

    Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Daines) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Mike Mansfield 
     Fellowship Act creating the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program.

Whereas the distinguished tenure of Mike Mansfield as Majority Leader of the 
        Senate spanned 16 years, making him the longest serving Majority Leader 
        in the history of the Senate;
Whereas Mike Mansfield served as the United States Ambassador to Japan from 1977 
        to 1988, the longest tenure of any United States ambassador anywhere in 
        the world;
Whereas, while serving as Ambassador, Mike Mansfield was fond of reminding the 
        people of the United States and Japan that the ``U.S.-Japan relationship 
        is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none'';
Whereas, in 1994, through the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act (Public Law 103-236; 
        108 Stat. 428), Congress authorized the Mike Mansfield Fellowship 
        Program to build a corps of Federal Government employees (in this 
        preamble referred to as ``Mansfield Fellows'') knowledgeable about the 
        language, culture, economy, and politics of Japan, so as to enhance 
        mutual cooperation and understanding between the United States and 
        Japan;
Whereas the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of 
        State provides financial support to make possible the deployment of 
        Mansfield Fellows and their families to Japan, and the Government of 
        Japan provides generous in-kind support, including a 2-month home-stay 
        and language training;
Whereas the first cohort of Mansfield Fellows, recruited from across the Federal 
        Government, began their service in Japan on September 1, 1996;
Whereas the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program has created a robust network of 
        officials from the Governments of the United States and Japan with deep 
        understanding of the economic, political, and strategic dimensions of 
        the United States-Japan relationship who work together to advance the 
        mutual interests of the United States and Japan;
Whereas Mansfield Fellows have served in 52 ministries and agencies of the 
        Government of Japan, dozens of Diet offices, and more than a dozen 
        private sector companies and nongovernmental organizations in Japan;
Whereas alumni of the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program are currently employed 
        throughout the Federal Government, including the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate, the Departments of State, Commerce, 
        Defense, Energy, Transportation, and the Treasury, the Office of the 
        United States Trade Representative, the Federal Aviation Administration, 
        and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as serving in the Army, 
        Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps;
Whereas, every day, Mansfield Fellows are drawing on their experience to enhance 
        United States-Japan bilateral relations and to strengthen United States-
        Japan cooperation around the world to tackle common global challenges;
Whereas, on April 29, 2015, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, declared 
        before a Joint Session of the United States Congress that the United 
        States and Japan have forged ``an alliance of hope'' resting on a 
        foundation of shared democratic values and common interests; and
Whereas the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program has been a cornerstone of United 
        States-Japan cooperation and has made important contributions to 
        strengthening security, economic, and cultural ties between the 2 
        allies: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates the 25th anniversary of the passage of the 
        Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act (Public Law 103-236; 108 Stat. 
        428) creating the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program;
            (2) remembers the contributions of Senator Mike Mansfield 
        and his wife Maureen to the United States Senate and to the 
        United States-Japan alliance;
            (3) thanks more than 150 alumni of the Mike Mansfield 
        Fellowship Program for bringing the expertise garnered during 
        their time in Japan back to the United States Government to 
        advance the interests of the United States;
            (4) conveys its appreciation to the people of Japan for the 
        warm welcome they have given to each class of Mansfield 
        Fellows;
            (5) commends the Government of Japan for opening its doors 
        to Mansfield Fellows and for providing steadfast and generous 
        support to the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program; and
            (6) encourages the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
        Affairs of the Department of State and the Government of Japan 
        to sustain their support for the Mike Mansfield Fellowship 
        Program, which in turn strengthens the ``alliance of hope'' and 
        the important work of the program to further peace, stability, 
        and prosperity in the world.
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